What is Archeology?

Meaning of Archeology

Archeology is the science that is dedicated to the study of the traces of life that was carried in the past, focusing on the behavior of human inhabitants, their organization and culture, this being mainly specified by the discovery and analysis of remains of articles or corpses , where the space in which they were found is also taken into account. As a historical discipline, it is clearly a part of historiography , although it has often been forgotten in general works.

Archeology is anthropological and historical , as it tries to study the way in which various human societies have organized themselves from the past to the present. It investigates, describes and orders the relationships, technologies and social systems that have existed through time, many of them now extinct. This science is responsible for investigating the provenance of ancient objects such as; treasures and tombs and others.

This is a young science , whose term comes from the Greek words “archaios” (ἀρχαίος), meaning “old or ancient” and “logos” (λόγος), symbolizing “science or study”, that is, the study of the ancient.

History of archeology

It arose near the Renaissance , however, traces have been obtained that evidence that it may be older, after this it is that the history of archeology begins, gives its first works about the remains found. However, in the last decade of the 18th century, coinciding with the emergence of romanticism on the one hand and with the renewal of earth sciences (geology, paleontology and geography) on the other, an important theoretical transformation took place in the set of ancient sciences that gave rise to archeology as it is known today. The naturalistic dimension of anthropology and archeology allows it to be included in the history of science , from which it is also frequently excluded.

Since this discipline became an autonomous historical science , more or less towards the second half of the 19th century, there has been a historiography of archeology. This is a fact that was observed in Spain. However, it is from the 20th century and especially since the Second World War, when the greatest attention has been paid to the history of archeology in Europe and America.

Since the 20th century , in which new research techniques appear that make anthropology and archeology complex and interdisciplinary sciences. This discipline was one of the historical sciences that underwent the greatest development and generated the greatest fascination in the social mass.

Carrera archeology began when Europe began to expand towards the East and Africa, this was an essential point for them, in terms of scientific discipline and development, the consolidation of nationalisms and colonialism that considerably condition and influence the interpretations about it. ancient world around the world.

From here a revisionist need was born , a retrospective look in search of light, on what this vertiginous and, in a certain way, uncontrolled development had supposed.

For this reason, it is from the Second World War when the hisphonography of archeology career begins to be a reality in different European countries, logically in those that excelled in Germany, England and Scandinavian countries, mainly those that had gone through colonialism. scientist given the enormous attraction of its cultural heritage and its also active participation in the consolidation of this science as an autonomous scientific discipline: Italy, Greece and Spain.

Behind all this , the need to explain the different theoretical positions with which the interpretation of archaeological data had been approached. The history of archeology today preferably serves the social and cultural environment in which the interpretations of archaeological data have been generated, without losing sight of the historical evolution of how the discipline has been progressively formed from the Renaissance to today in day.

For this reason, the study of the history of this science can be approached from different perspectives : biographical, institutional, ideological, political, legislative, geographical and research techniques. It is important to highlight what part of history is observed in the archeology museum of each country.

Branches of archeology

Within the branches of archeology are the following:

Ethnoarchaeology

This discipline was born with the appearance of the new American archeology in the 1960s, given the direct relationship between the archaeological remains that were being excavated and the living successors of the indigenous groups that had produced them.

Its objective is to know what types of behaviors can be found in the material culture groups found in the warehouses. Since then, ethnoarchaeology has made many contributions to interpreting the archaeological record, such as the so-called "Nunamiut curves."

Between 1969 and 1972, Binford studied several recently deposited hunting grounds of an Inuit group from Alaska (the Nunamiut). From this, he established patterns of skeletal representation of prey to infer models of foraging and corpse transport, where it is related to forensic archeology.

Today, these curves are used by almost all the works that aim to conclude corpse transport strategies from the fauna registry. In addition, ethnoarchaeology has also provided important insights on hunter-gatherer communities of the past, such as Mayan archeology.

Cognitive archeology

As a nascent discipline , in the last thirty years human beings have been part of the emergence of a new area of ​​interest for archaeological research: the mind of our ancestors. This type of archeology has been more used, however, it is not the only one.

As a relatively recent area of ​​study , it still does not have a conclusive, exhaustive, or even panoramic definition of its object of study, nor of the methodology that could be pertinent to approach it. Within its activities there are many experienced topics, which belong to different fields of study and which are analyzed from different perspectives.

Contextual archeology

You are concerned with the context of an artifact and the associations between various objects . They also take into account the number of identical objects in a warehouse and where it is located. Therefore, it allows to discover the function of an artifact and information about how it influenced society.

Darwinian archeology

It states that the processes that lead to stability and cultural change are similar to those of biological evolution. As time passed, cultural evolution arose, which refers to changes in the distribution of the qualities of society. He also defends that human culture is the consequence of social learning through contact with other human beings.

Underwater archeology

Underwater or underwater archeology is a discipline that studies civilizations whose remains were submerged in water and ships that were shipwrecked in seas and oceans. An important part of the studies is carried out with standard technology and simple measurement, mapping and drawing systems.

Genre archeology

It is the study of the role , actions and ideologies that exist between men and women. Look for the differences between the social role of each of them in different cultures. Also, it analyzes the biological inequalities and social constructions that are transmitted to humans from childhood.

Experimental archeology

Archaeological research data is obtained through experiments. They try to reconstruct an object with the same means that the past culture they were studying possessed. In addition, they test an object to see how it works and its limitations. This type of archeology allows you to discard ideas and modify theories.

Holistic archeology

It covers all aspects of human societies (ecology, economy, politics, art, ideology) and relates them to each other. Its main sources come from other different types of the same discipline: ethnography, ethnohistory and contextual archeology.

Landscape archeology

This is a method by which one seeks to know what the environment was like in ancient times. During this method, small random 2 x 2 surveys are carried out in the surrounding area that you want to study and thanks to this information, data is obtained on the diversity of the environment and the different activities that were carried out in each part of the environment.

Applications of archeology

Within the field of archeology one can distinguish "extensive" studies, which seek to define areas of interest, and "intensive" studies, whose purpose is to locate and define structures or other archaeological objectives with precision.

It is important to highlight that the archaeologist's functions include coordinating, supervising and directing projects or constructions that have to do with new studies or discoveries. The archaeologist must have knowledge of Environmental Management in order to channel the appropriate permits and established by the laws of the country where it is carried out, in addition to the evaluation of environmental impacts.

This science is important for humanity since through it it is possible to know and protect the patrimonial riches of the countries, and also, in the diffusion of the various cultures.

The main geophysical applications in archeology are :

• Location of buried anthropic structures such as walls, rooms, ovens, etc.
• Location of buried metal objects.
• Definition of unnatural fill areas.
• Location of healthy rock roof or other natural boundaries for debris.

Archeology in Mexico

Mexican archeology began from the administration of Cárdenas, ending in 1940 and that of another general, Manuel Ávila Camacho, began. During this new administration, Mexico entered the Second World War. This event constrains non-war scientific and humanistic research, in fact the Mexican journal archeology came to light, where it refers to the presence of foreign institutions conducting various studies of anthropological interest.

Today the State does not neglect the study of the pre-Hispanic past or Mexican archeology , and humanistic investigations continue.

To study archeology in Mexico , "extensive" studies must be carried out, the study time is 4 years; Among the universities that dictate the career are: Colegio de Michoacán, National School of Anthropology and History, among others. Mexico is one of the countries par excellence to study this type of study.

There are several archaeological discoveries in Mexico , among them we can mention: the Ehécatl or God of the Wind temple located behind the Metropolitan Cathedral, another discovery with great relevance was a wall of stones belonging to the Mayas, which was swallowed by the The jungle as found, is called Ciudad Grande, and is located on the banks of the Hondo River near Belize.

Also a Mexican archaeological find are the shaft tombs, located in the City of Villa de Alvarez.

Frequently Asked Questions about Archeology